"Most important is to feel Armenian spirit in Homeland," Argentine
Armenian young man Nikolas Ohannesian says
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 4, NOYAN TAPAN- ARMENIANS TODAY. Players of Buenos
Aires football team which is the participant of Football Tournament of
Pan-Armenian Games Eghia Arslanian, Kristian Ekizian, Nikolas
Ohannesian, Lukas Baghdasarian and Santiago Panosian, father of the
latter, doctor of the team Alberto Panosian and Roz Mary Dangasian, the
director of Pan-Armenian Games’ organizational department of Buenos
Aires were hosted by RA Ministry of Diaspora’s Department of Armenian
Communities of America the other day.
In the conversation with the guests it turned out that only S. Panosian
was in Armenia for the first time. He is sure that he will come to his
Homeland again as the impressions that he has got were positive. And
even the thousands of kilometres between Armenia and Argentina can not
be obstacles for returning to Armenia.
The doctor of the team noted that though Santiago has a lot of Armenian
friends their family has just begun to take part in the life of the
Armenian community of Buenos Aires. A. Panosian added that he is glad
to be in Armenia, where his grandfather or mother have not had an
opportunity to be. Santiago agreed with above mentioned Department’s
Director of the Subdivision of North America Gayane Dabaghian who said
that the Argentine Armenian young man came to Armenia feeling his
Armenian roots and with the call of blood.
The Argentine Armenian young people noted that Armenia is progressing
quickly and Yerevan has become a European city. According to N.
Ohannesian, nevertheless, the modern buildings are not the most
important thing, but it is important "to feel Armenian spirit in the
Homeland."
R.M. Dangasian said that the main part of the members of the Buenos
Aires team have played football together since childhood. He also
cleared up that different sporting groups function at the Armenian
schools of Argentina and the Armenian General Athletic Union holds
games between these schools every year.
The Argentine Armenian young people told that balls, evening parties
and other events are recurrently held in the Armenian community of
Buenos Aires.
The Director of the above mentioned Department invited the Argentine
Armenian young people to take part in the 2010 Come Home program of the
RA Ministry of Diaspora which will give them an opportunity to see the
sights of Armenia, to further get acquainted with the Armenian culture
and history, to gain Armenian and Diasporan Armenian friends and so to
become a "bridge" between Armenia, Armenians of Argentina and other
communities of Diaspora. He also said that the RA Ministry of Diaspora
implements a Program of Assistance to Educational-Cultural Problems of
South (Latin) America’s Armenian Communities which has been affirmed by
the RA government.